Impact 50: Bob Roux

PRESIDENT – U.S. CONCERTS
LIVE NATION

As president of U.S. Concerts for Live Nation, Bob Roux is not only at the front seat of the touring industry, but one of its key drivers. Likewise, his words mean more than most when talking about the current state of business and what’s to come.

“Live Nation U.S. Concerts had a record year in 2022, and we are heading for an even stronger full year in 2023, which tells me there is continued strong global growth for well into the future,” Roux says.

With well-documented, large-scale touring successes in 2022 and a 2023 hoping to finally put terms like “the new normal” fully into cold storage, Roux notes other sectors that are standing out post-COVID.

“Las Vegas is simply on fire right now and our residency business could not be stronger,” Roux says. “We will continue to invest in that market and further develop projects there. From my perspective, we have a great destination business that is only going to continue to grow as we put more resources and capital towards it.”

Continuing the theater trend, Roux notes a highlight this year being Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, “a very intimate venue compared to where you are accustomed to seeing Bruce.” He notes another highlight being the Kentucky Rising benefit concert organized by Chris Stapleton to help those impacted by floods in Eastern Kentucky last year.

With more than 40 years of history in the concert business and much changing since his days of putting on shows at the University of Illinois in the ’70s, Roux notes the importance of diversity within Live Nation – a company that at its core was formed as a collection of independent concert promoter entrepreneurs and, together as a singular unit, has become the major driver of live entertainment across the globe.

“Increasing diversity and inclusion is a top priority across all facets of our company,” Roux said. “We focus on hiring qualified diverse candidates for any open position we have and we work equally as hard to ensure all of our employees have the same opportunities to grow their careers and responsibilities at Live Nation.”